Figure Painting from Photos and Color Study

Last week, my beautiful friend Margaret came over 

and I asked her to model for me in the late afternoon sun. 

I did a quick (poorly drawn) color study in about 30 minutes

Today, I set up the study, the image and the panel together. 

I blocked in everything in shadow using all values darker than middle grey, 

using my color study as a guide 

(I draw a line down the center of my pallet

 to keep the dark and light values separate.

Once the shadow shapes are all in, 

I clean my brushes and start to use white 

on the other side.   

Red Shorts 

8 x 10 

I took my time with this and made every stroke count. 

I only gave myself one stroke per shape. 

Color studies done in actual sunlight are invaluable tools 

when painting from photos. 

Melancholy Monday

Labor Day always brings on a bit of melancholy. 

The beach is empty,

even though it's a perfect beach day!  

Good Bye Summer 

8 x 10 

As sad as it is to say good bye to summer, 

the change of season in New England is always welcomed.

Bring on the Fall! 

I'm ready. 

Red Sky

Living on the ocean, facing East, 

we wake up to some pretty amazing sunrises. 

I usually avoid painting them because 

I figure the world's Greatest Artist

already does a pretty good job of it! 

Although, the Girls Just Wanna Paint Challenge this month is:

"reflection"

so I thought I'd give it a shot. 

"Red Sky in the Morning"

(Hurricane warning!) 

6 x 6 

This one was particularly spectacular.

It was the morning before Hurricane Irene arrived.

The ocean was like glass and the sky was lit up like it was on fire!  

Back to Normal Now

Nothing like a hurricane to shake things up for a few days! 

During all the upheaval, I managed to get some work done. 

"Perfectly Happy"

 12 x 12 

My friend Franny is organizing a fundraiser called 

"Art Off the Wall" 

for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. 

She asked us all to donate a 12 x 12 painting 

to be auctioned off in sort of a "Yankee Swap" format. 

I kind of want people to be fighting over mine. 

Painting this during the hurricane made me 

forget about the howling winds. 

Commissions Can be Sticky

Commissions can be sticky, to say the least. 

I usually regret it, every time I agree to do one. 

Painting something someone else has in mind,

 kind of takes the wind out of my sails. 

But this one, I actually enjoyed doing! 

It is to be a gift for a woman who was a member 

of my garden club years ago. 

Her daughter saw this one of mine: 

Garden Club Meeting 

8 x 10 

at a mutual friend's house 

and asked me to do one like it.

Garden Tour 

8 x 10 

I included daffodils, orange day lilies, and gladiolas

(even though they are never in bloom at the same time)

because those are her Mom's favorite flowers.  

Duxbury Beach

All summer long 

people with four wheel drive vehicles line up along the shore 

of Duxbury Beach to spend the day on the beach. 

"Duxbury Beach" 

8 x 16 

This is the scene as viewed from the ocean 

on a particularly busy day. 

Old Painting Dilemma

I spent today organizing my studio for September and beyond. 

So what do I  do with these old paintings?

There has to be over 200 panels here. 

Most are class work or failed experiments.

Nothing I would ever want anyone to "own".

I've been told to never 

put them in the trash. 

(Because they could end up on some one's wall)

My friend Sally Dean 

told me a friend of hers burned all of her old paintings 

and then used the ashes to make new ones.  

Any other ideas?